Gamma Arietis
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| Observation data Equinox J2000.0 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aries |
| Right ascension | 01h 53m 31.8s |
| Declination | +19° 17' 37" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +3.88 |
| Distance | 204 ± 11 ly (63 ± 3 pc) |
| Spectral type | A1pSi |
| Other designations | |
Gamma Arietis (γ Ari / γ Arietis) is a triple star system in constellation Aries. It also has the traditional name Mesarthim, which means "the First Star in Aries" in Sanskrit. Mesarthim is 204 light years distant.
The system is composed of a binary star with components separated with an angular distance of 7.7 arcseconds (separable in small telescopes). Both components are white A-type main sequence stars and have apparent magnitudes of +4.75 and +4.83. The brighter is known as γ² Arietis and the dimmer γ¹ Arietis. The orbital period of the binary is greater than 5000 years. Orbiting the binary is γ Arietis C, a magnitude +9.6 K-type star located 221 arcseconds distant.
The brightest component, γ² Arietis, is classified as an Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum type variable star and its brightness varies by 0.04 magnitudes with a period of 2.61 days.